creation of the universe and man and concludes with the creation of the
Hebrew empire.

[Sidenote: _Its unity and characteristics_]

In its present Old Testament form it has been closely combined with
other histories, just as Mark's narrative is largely reproduced in
Matthew and Luke; but when, it is separated from the later narratives
its unity and completeness are astounding. Almost without a break it
presents the chief characters and events of Israel's history in their
relations to each other. The same peculiar vocabulary, the use of
Jehovah as the designation of the Deity, the same vivid, flowing
narrative style, the same simple, naive, primitive conception of
Jehovah, the same patriotic interest in the history of the race, and the
same emphasis upon the vital religious significance of men and facts,
characterize every section of this narrative and make comparatively easy
the task of separating it from the other histories with which it has
been joined.

[Sidenote: _The early Ephraimite prophetic history_]

A little later, sometime about the middle of the eighth century before
Christ, a prophet or group of prophets in Northern Israel devoted
themselves to the similar task of writing the history of Israel from
the point of view of the northern kingdom. Since this state is called
_Ephraim_ by Hosea and other writers of the North, its history may be
designated as _the early Ephraimite prophetic_ (technically known as E).
Naturally its author or authors utilized as the basis of their work
the oral traditions current in the North. Sometimes these are closely
parallel, and sometimes they vary widely in order and representation